TRAVERSE OF THE GODS

by Bob Langley ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 31, 1980

Superior mountain-climbing melodrama in a WW II setting. Erich Spengler, a former star climber now suffering bad dreams from a failed ascent of the Eigerwand, is with the retreating German army in Italy when a helicopter arrives and airlifts him to the German-Swiss border: he is to join a new commando squad, formed by famed Major Otto Skorzeny, that will climb the Eiger and capture Allied scientists who are conducting experiments with A-bomb radiation. Also on the commando squad is Dr. Helene Rossner (a double-agent for the British)--and the squad is trained by the sadistic Henke. Ultimately, however, after the team lands by glider during a storm on the ice fields of the Eiger, it is actually led by Spengler; and the team is successful in capturing top scientist Lasser. But during the incredible descent in bad weather, things fall apart and lives drop off into space. . . while Spengler falls in love with Helene and loses all faith in the Fuehrer. To save the team's remnants, Spengler must solo up the face of the Eiger and contact the Americans to come to their rescue, and in doing so he conquers his fear of heights despite having only one arm left to climb with. Vivid, gritty, slightly farfetched as usual with Langley--but the best work yet by the author of Death Stalk and The War of the Running Fox.

Pub Date: July 31, 1980

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Morrow

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1980

Categories: FICTION